Envelop.



UNITED STATES PATENT @FFE yWILLIS F. STEVENS, 0F RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, ASSIGNOR T0 DUPLEX ENVELOPE PRINTING COMPANY, OF RICHMOND, VIRGINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA. t

ENVELOI.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patenten Jan. 2,1912.

Application ledJuly 11, 1911. Serial No. 637,916.4

To all whom it may concern.:

Be it known that I, lViLLIs F. STEVENS, a citizen of the United States, residing at Richmond, in the county of Henrico and State of Virginia, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Envelops; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, and to the figures and letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention relates to envelops of that type primarily designed for the reception of contributions of lnoney, etc., to be applied to specific purposes, the several contributions being credited to individuals who are known by numbers rather than by their proper names. This system of collecting contributions, especially in church work, has come to be recognized as an efficient and necessary system and one of the important elements in carrying the system into effectis the envelop in which the contribution is placed and upon which the identification as to date, contributors number and use to which the contribution is to be put may be printed in such manner that the data is effectively disposed, both to aid the contributor and to aid the treasurer or bookkeeper who has charge of the accounts.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a contribution envelop which may be effectively sealed by the contributor and easily opened by the treasurer or church officer having charge of this part -of the work, and upon which the number or contributors identification willv be printed or marked in such manner that it will not be ldestroyed in the opening of the envelop,

to give access to the contribution.

The invention is primarily designed for use in that type of envelop known as twin envelops or envelops having separable pockets for the reception of contributions devoted to different classes of church work, but all of which compartments are adapted to be sealed simultaneously, and, if desired, to be separated from leach other before being opened. whereby the contributions for different objects may be readily classified and the keeping of the accounts correspondingly simplified, or the separated unopened compartments turned over to the proper accounting olficers ofthe organization.

Referring to the accompanying drawings,-Figure l is a View looking at the sealing flap side of a twin envelop embodying the present invention; Fig. 2 yis a view of the blank from which the envelop is formed; and Fig. 3 is a view showing the 1n tnner of inserting an opener beneath the ungummed extension of the sealing flap, at the point where it is cut away to permit of the printing of the identification number on the body of the envelop.

Lne blank from which the envelop is formed comprises a body portion A, a main flap B, narrow end {iaps C, which are adapt ed to be folded inwardly, beneath the ends of the main' flap B, and to he permanently gummed or connected thereto, and a closing or sealing flap D extendingalong the edge of the body in position to turn down over the pocket openings, so as lto effeotually close the same and adapted to be united to thedmain flap, by a line of gum indicated at In ,the type of envelop illustrated, the body and main flap are united centrally by a line of gum on each side of the central line of perforation or weakness indicated at F, so as to divide the envelop into two separable compartments. The sealing flap is likewise perforated or formed with a central line of weakness at f and with a central notch or cut out portion at f', indicating the division line between the compartments. Each end of the sealing or closing flap is cut away in proximity to the ends of the envelop for a portion only of the Width of the sealing flap, thereby forming extensions D of less width than the body of the Hap, which extensions are not provided with gum and are not designed to be fastened down to the main flap B of the envelop. The object of thus cutting awayv the sealing flap is two-fold,-first, it provides a means whereby the end of a knife or opener may be readily inserted for slitting open the envelop for the removal of its contents, and secondly, it provides a space in which the identification numbers assigned to the contributor may be printed on the body of the envelop rather than upon the sealing fiap which, experience has shown, is liable to be entirely torn off when the envelop is opened. In printing the date, identificatlon number and other data on the envelop, it has been found highly advantageous, both from the manufacturers point of view and from the users point of View, to print the date and identification number in a line at the top of the envelop, and the data relating to the use towhich the contribution is to be put in the space below the sealing flap, and on the side of the envelop to which the sealing flap is attached in closing the envelop. The reason for the location of this data on what would ordinarily be considered the rear face of the envelop, will be appreciated when it is remembered that in twin envelops of this type, the data should be in such position as to be readable at the time when the contribution is placed in the pocket of the envelop, in order that the same may be placed in the proper pocket. Were the data,

rinted on the body of the envelop, in turnmg the envelop over to place the contribution in the pocket confusion would be cre ated and there would be a liability of the contribution being placed in the wrong pocket. It is desirable that this data should be in view regardless of whether the sealing flap be opened or closed, and for this reason it is undesirable to' place the same on the sealing flap itself. The present arrangement invariably exposes the classification data vand the openings to the pockets to View at the same time, so that no mistake can be made in placing the contribution in the proper pocket'.

It will be noted that when separated from each other each compartment or section of the envelop bears the contributors number directly on the main portion thereof, where it can not be accidentally separated, and each compartment or section has the sealing iap provided with the unsealed extension or supplemental flap beneath which the opener may be readily inserted to facilitate the opening. This extension or supplemental fiap, besides aiiording an opening for the insertion of an opener, serves to e'ectually close the opening to the pocket so that the contents cannot escape or access thereto be had until the envelop is opened in the regular way, thus making the envelop practically as secure as with the ordinary sealed v fiap, and rovides a space'for the identification num er directly on the wall of the pocket, in line with the sealing flap, so that the date and number may be readily applied with ordinary automatic consecutive dating and numbering appliances. What I claim is 1.. A contribution envelop formed of a body and main Hap connected at the sides and bottom to form a ocket, and a sealing flap gummed for a portion of its length only, connected at one edge to the body and cut away beyond the gummed portion in proximity to the ends of the envelop for a portion only of the width of the sealing flap, thereby forming ungummed extensions, whereby a complete closure for the pocket is afforded with provision for the insertion of an opener, and the face of the pocket is exposed below the extension and beyond the body of the flap for the impression of the cont-ributors identification number directly on the pocket in line with the sealing flap.

2. A contribution envelop formed of a body and main tlap connected together at the bottom and side edges and along a central line perpendicular to the bottom to form plural pockets arranged edge to edge, there being a line of weaknessbetween the pockets, whereby they may be torn apart without being opened, a gummed sealing flap connected atone edge to the edge of the body adjacent the pocket openings, said sealing flap having its ends ungummed and of reduced width to expose the wall of the pockets below said ends and beyond the body of the flap and in line with the iiap for the impression of an identification number and to form an opening for the insertion of an opener, an identification number on the wall of the pockets in line with the sealing flap, and contribution classification data on the main flap below the sealing iiap, whereby the openings to the pockets and classification data are simultaneously exposed to view.

- WILLIS F. STEVENS. Witnesses:

A. C. HEINRICH, G. WADDYFELD. 

